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Chapter 4 · Verse 26
🪈 Krishna speaks
Illustration for Chapter 4, Verse 26

श्रोत्रादीनीन्द्रियाण्यन्ये संयमाग्निषु जुह्वति। शब्दादीन्विषयानन्य इन्द्रियाग्निषु जुह्वति॥

śrotrādīnīndriyāṇyanye saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati | śabdādīnviṣayānanya indriyāgniṣu juhvati ||

Word by Word 8 words
श्रोत्रादीनि
śru to hear — root of śrotra, the ear ādi and the rest, beginning with

the ear and the other senses

इन्द्रियाणि
ind to be powerful — root of indriya, sense-power

the senses (hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling)

अन्ये
anya other, some others

others, some people

संयमाग्निषु
sam together yam to hold, to restrain ag to drive — root of agni, fire

in the fires of self-restraint

जुह्वति
hu to offer into fire, to pour

they offer up, they pour in

शब्दादीन्
śabda sound ādi and the rest, beginning with

sound and the other things the senses chase

विषयान्
viṣ to spread out, to occupy — root of viṣaya

the objects of the senses — what we hear, see, taste, touch, smell

इन्द्रियाग्निषु
ind to be powerful — root of indriya, sense ag to drive — root of agni, fire

in the fires of the senses

names two more kinds of offering. Some people offer up their senses themselves — their hearing, seeing, and the rest — into the fire of self-control, holding them steady instead of letting them run wild. Others offer up the things the senses chase, like pleasant sounds and sights, pouring those right into the fire of the senses but staying calm and unhooked. Both are ways of practicing mastery over oneself.

कथा

The Five Restless Horses

An original story

gathered the reins of the white horses, who had grown restless in the dark, tossing their heads and stamping.

"A person," he said, "is a little like a chariot. The body is the cart. The mind is the driver. And the senses — hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell — are five horses, eager and strong, each pulling toward whatever it loves."

watched the horses settle as 's hands steadied the reins.

"The ear gallops toward sweet sounds. The eye bolts after bright sights. The tongue strains toward sweet tastes. If the driver drops the reins, the five horses scatter in five directions and tear the chariot apart. You have seen it happen — a person ruined by chasing every pleasure their senses cried for."

"So what does a wise driver do?" asked.

"There are two ways, and both are a kind of offering. The first seeker takes the horses themselves — the very senses — and gives them up into the fire of self-restraint. That means he trains them. He keeps a gentle, firm grip, so the ear does not drag him toward gossip, nor the eye toward what is not his. The horses still run, but they run where he chooses. He has offered their wildness into the flame of his own steady will."

The horses had gone quiet now, ears forward, waiting.

"The second seeker does something subtler. He lets the sounds and sights come — he does not block his ears or shut his eyes — but he offers each one into the fire of his senses without being burned by it. A beautiful song reaches him and passes through; he enjoys it and lets it go, the way a clear window lets light pass without holding on to it. The pleasant thing comes, brightens the moment, and moves on, leaving no hook in his heart."

nodded slowly. "One tames the horses. The other lets the road go by without grabbing at it."

"Just so," said . "Both keep the chariot whole. Both are masters, not servants, of the senses. And a master may travel anywhere — even into pleasure — without losing the way."

He flicked the reins, and the horses, calm now, stood ready for whatever the morning would ask.

चिन्तनम्

Your senses are always pulling you toward fun things — a screen, a snack, a noise. Can you think of a time you chose to wait or look away, and felt stronger for it?